Chapter 111 Welcoming Mother Out of the Palace
“Aunt…” Mu Chen’s voice was hoarse, with an unusual intimacy, “You really disappointed your nephew tonight…”
Seeing his demeanor, especially the way he closed the door, the eldest princess felt alarm bells ringing in her heart. Forcing herself to remain calm, she snapped, "Mu Chen! Are you insane?! This is my bedchamber! Who gave you permission to trespass?! Get out!"
Mu Chen seemed not to hear him, and instead walked even closer, almost touching the princess.
He lowered his head, his hot, alcohol-scented breath hitting the princess's face, his tone strange:
"Get out? Aunt, haven't we been tied together for a long time?" He reached out, wanting to touch the princess's face, his voice growing lower and lower.
"Are you afraid that Mu Cen will investigate you? Ha... Do you think Father will punish whom first if I reveal all our dealings?"
The princess abruptly slapped his hand away, her face deathly pale, her chest heaving violently, her eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of fear: "You dare threaten me?!"
Mu Chen chuckled softly, the sound particularly eerie in the silent bedchamber: "Your nephew wouldn't dare. I'm just reminding you, Aunt, that we rise and fall together. If you fall, your nephew won't fare well either. So..."
He leaned close to the princess's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Instead of worrying about the Western Regions, why not think about how to help your nephew... completely eliminate this major threat? After all, we are the closest people to you, aren't we?"
The princess looked at Mu Chen's face, which was so close to hers, and saw obvious madness and possessiveness. She was filled with fear and a chill that was mixed with an unspeakable sense of shame.
This wretched child! How dare he!
She never married, not because no one dared to propose, but because she was proud and arrogant, believing that all men in the world were mediocre and no one was worthy of her noble birth and high standards.
She often traveled outside under the guise of praying for blessings and practicing meditation, and lived in various temples for a long time. She enjoyed the freedom of being free from worldly constraints and was not familiar with the princes and grandsons in the palace, especially the Crown Prince Mu Chen, who was much older than her and had been weak since childhood. When she left the palace, he was still an inconspicuous child, and she didn't even have a clear impression of him.
That encounter... was a complete mistake! A ridiculous mistake!
Memories, like maggots clinging to bones, surge up uncontrollably.
That was last year when she returned to Beijing for a short stay and went to a royal temple in the suburbs known for its tranquility for a brief period of quiet meditation.
A night of thunder and rain caused her old ailment to flare up again. She drank some calming medicinal wine and went to bed early. In the dead of night, a figure, soaked to the bone and looking flustered and gloomy, somehow wandered into her secluded Zen monastery.
What happened next was chaotic, intense, and filled with an absurd and ambiguous atmosphere, completely out of her control... When she came to her senses and looked at the young face beside her, she was shocked to realize what had happened!
It wasn't until the young man opened his eyes, pampered her with a smile, and uttered, "Aunt, you have to take responsibility for me."
She then realized that this person was her nephew! He was the current Crown Prince, Mu Chen!
The immense fear and shame nearly overwhelmed her, and she wanted to bury the matter completely, treating it as a nightmare.
But Mu Chen became obsessed with her from then on. He used that absurd incident as leverage to coerce her time and time again, using her influence in the imperial family and the court to pave the way for him and clear obstacles for him.
They were in the same boat, people on a shady, dirty, and dangerous ship.
"You...you madman!" The princess squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with fear.
Mu Chen laughed, his fingers lightly tracing her well-maintained neck with a morbid infatuation: "Yes, I've gone mad... driven mad by you all. Who told you to treat me like a pawn? I'll make you wish you were dead!"
As he spoke the last few words, Mu Chen suddenly tightened his grip, grabbing the princess's neck: "If you don't want to be exposed, then obediently do as I say!"
*
After a few days of calm, an urgent military report shattered the tranquility of the capital like a thunderclap: the border was in dire straits! For some unknown reason, various forces in the Western Regions had become restless again, frequently provoking others, and several important border towns had been attacked in succession, creating a critical situation!
Meanwhile, even more shocking news came from the palace: the emperor, worried about the border war and already old, fell ill overnight, and his condition worsened rapidly, leaving him bedridden!
The people, both in and out of the government, were immediately filled with unease.
At this critical juncture of internal and external troubles, Mu Cenlin, as a pillar of the army, was specially summoned to the palace.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the air was thick with the smell of medicine. The emperor lay on his dragon bed, his face ashen and his breath weak. An imperial edict was read aloud by a eunuch, ordering Prince Jing, Mu Cenlin, to immediately take command and go to the border to quell the war and stabilize the overall situation.
However, Mu Cenlin did not immediately accept the imperial decree and express his gratitude.
He knelt before the dragon bed, his posture upright like a pine tree: "Father, I am willing to go to the border to serve the country, even at the cost of my life. But before I go on the expedition, I have a request, and I hope that you will grant it."
The eunuchs and several high-ranking officials standing in the hall were all shocked. At such a time, how dare Prince Jing make demands on the ailing emperor?
The emperor slightly opened his cloudy eyes and looked at his son, with whom he had always harbored complex emotions, and said weakly, "Speak."
Every word he uttered was firm and resounding: "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you honor your previous promise, pardon my mother, Consort Zhang, and allow her to be moved out of the Cold Palace so that I may take her back to my residence to care for her."
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent!
Everyone knows that Consort Zhang was banished to the Cold Palace for many years because she offended the Emperor, and the Emperor has been reluctant to discuss this matter. Yet Prince Jing dares to bring up this old issue now, under the pretext of going to war—it's practically a form of coercion!
The emperor's chest heaved violently, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. He had agreed to the request earlier in order to protect Kang Ning, but had not released him. However, looking at Mu Cenlin's unquestionable gaze and considering that the border could not do without him, the emperor finally compromised.
He closed his eyes and waved his hand weakly.
The trusted eunuch beside him immediately understood the emperor's intention and exclaimed in a shrill voice, "His Majesty grants your permission! Effective immediately, the deposed Consort Zhang shall be moved out of the Cold Palace and placed under the care of His Highness Prince Jing!"
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!" Mu Cenlin kowtowed heavily, a hint of relief flashing deep in his eyes.
The reason he chose to make this request at this time was because he knew the border couldn't do without him, and the ailing emperor had no choice but to make concessions for the sake of the stability of the country.
After the decree was issued, Mu Cenlin acted swiftly and personally led people to the desolate and cold palace to carefully bring out his mother, Zhang, who looked haggard but still couldn't hide her former beauty.
Just as he stepped out of the dilapidated gates of the Cold Palace and was about to board the Prince's carriage, a royal eunuch rushed over and blocked his way.
"Your Majesty, please wait!" the eunuch cried out in a shrill voice, panting. "His Majesty has decreed that Your Majesty must come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately to see him!"
Mu Cenlin's brows furrowed instantly, and he instinctively shielded his mother behind him. Why had the Emperor summoned him now? Was he perhaps trying to back out?
Zhang gently patted her son's arm. After years of suffering in the cold palace, her heart was as still as an ancient well.
Zhang said calmly to the eunuch, "Please lead the way, sir."
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